What Colors Make Brown? The Ultimate Guide To Mixing Brown, by Chris Breier on YouTube. 9 min 58 s.
- Video length
- 9 min 58 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Squeeze a small amount of pure red paint onto your palette. Keep it separate from other colors so you can see the mix change.
Add a tiny amount of black or ultramarine blue to the red and stir. Both make a dark chocolate brown, but blue keeps it cooler.
For a warmer, lighter brown, swap the red for orange and add black slowly. Orange needs less black to darken.
To mix brown from traditional primaries, combine red, yellow and blue. Start with red and yellow, then add small amounts of blue until the mix turns brown.
For a printing-primary brown, mix cyan, magenta and yellow. Add the cyan last, a little at a time, to avoid a muddy result.
Try complementary colors: mix blue with orange or purple with yellow. A warm color plus a cool color makes brown.
To make light brown, add Titanium White to any brown mix. Start with a small dab and stir well.
For the easiest light brown, add white to a tube brown such as Burnt Sienna or Burnt Umber. Add more white for tan or beige.
Paint a small swatch on scrap paper and let it dry. Acrylic colors can dry slightly darker than they look wet.
Tips and common mistakes
Add dark colors a few drops at a time; it is much easier to darken a mix than to lighten it again.
Wipe your brush or palette knife between colors so the brown stays clear and clean.
Use a palette knife for repeatable mixes and a brush when you want softer blends.
Questions
What two colors make brown paint?
Red and black make a dark chocolate brown, and red mixed with blue also makes brown. Orange with black gives a warmer brown.
How do I make light brown or tan?
Add Titanium White to any brown mix. Start with a small amount and add more until you reach tan, beige or khaki.
Why is brown missing from the color wheel?
Most color wheels show pure colors only, not tints and shades. Brown is a dark red or dark orange, so it appears once you darken or dull a color.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
